Thursday, July 31, 2014

Hey all this August I am planning to participate in the Bout of Books read-a-thon again. However I later realized this is the same week I am going to camp so won't be able to read quite as much, also packing a bunch of physical books might be an issue so my TBR will consist of mostly ebooks and audiobooks (once I figure out what I'm reading).

"The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, August 18th and runs through Sunday, August 24th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 11 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team"

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontelength: 659 pages (during RAT: 491)completed: not yet (started July 7)rated: -/5 starsDidn't get this finished by the end of July but got to page 566.

#booktubeathon - hosted by Ariel and guests (July 14th - July 20th)theme: read as much as you can and try to complete 7 reading challenges (max 2 challenges per book)

My Point...And I Do Have One by Ellen DeGenereslength: 211 pagescompleted: July 15 (started July 14)rated: 3/5 starschallenge(s): read a book from the genre you've read the least of this year (memoir), read a book chosen for you by someone else (mother)

Sgt. Frog, Vol. 1: Enter the Sergeant (Sgt. Frog, #1) by Mine Yoshizakilength: 188 pagescompleted: July 16 (started July 14)rated: 3/5 starschallenge(s): read a book with pictures in it

The City of Ember (Book of Ember, #1) by Jeanne DuPraulength: 270 pagescompleted: July 17 (started July 16)rated: 4/5 starschallenge(s): start and finish a series (part 1 of 4), read a book with a movie adaptation then watch the movie

The People of Sparks (Book of Ember, #2) by Jeanne DuPraulength: 338 pagescompleted: July 19 (started July 17)rated: 5/5 starschallenge(s): start and finish a series (part 2 of 4)

The Prophet of Yonwood (Book of Ember, #3) by Jeanne DuPraulength: 289 pagescompleted: July 20 (started July 19)rated: 3/5 starschallenge(s): start and finish a series (part 3 of 4), read a book with red on the cover

The Diamond of Darkhold (Book of Ember, #4) by Jeanne DuPraulength: 285 pagescompleted: July 20 (started July 20)rated: 5/5 starschallenge(s): start and finish a series (part 4 of 4)#booktubeathon stats:
Total read: 1595 pages, 6 books
Challenges completed: 6/7
Missed challenge: Read 7 books or an average of 300 pages a day

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Hey all! I'm going to attempt to participate as much as possible in the #AYearAThon a group of monthly read-a-thons, that last one week in length, until December 2014. Each month has a different theme.

Check out all the details & discussion over at the goodreads group here! Or check out the videos about it these lovely ladies made: Alyssa, Ke-sha, Kristina, Bunny, Allyn, Liz, Catriona, and many more by searching #ayearathon on Youtube or on Twitter!

DAY THREE:
HP7 - 31 pages (finished listening to the rest of the audiobook cds I have, and have yet to get a complete copy from the library)
CV - 13 pages
TOTAL (day): 44

DAY FOUR:
No progress. Haven't been able to acquire more HP audios so listened to more of "The Woman in White" by Wilkie Collins during my commute/drive home from work. Also had a long day at work (where I can't read novels) and then fell asleep early after shoveling the snow (boo) from the driveway and having dinner. I am now off Fri, Sat, and Sun. so I hope to get my reading groove on then!

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Towards the end of 2013 I attempted to finish all the books I had on the go before the new year. Although I made a real dent in the overwhelming number of partial finished books I didn't reach my goal of finishing them all. Which is disappointing. I like to start fresh each year from the first day of January onwards.

With starting fresh I was excited to participate in the Bout of Books 9.0 read-a-thon. But now I have decided to not participate in that either. You are probably thinking, wouldn't a read-a-thon help to finish up those loose ends to get closer to that fresh start faster? It might or it might not. In my case I am currently trying to finish Madame Tussaud by Michelle Moran, a book I have been reading on and off (more off than on) since Feb. 5, 2012. Which may be the book I've been "reading" for the longest amount of time in all my years of reading. Which is absolutely ridiculous to me. It isn't that it isn't interesting I just find that the smaller print and my complete lack of knowledge of the French revolution has slowed my progress. This is therefore not the type of book I would generally choose for a read-a-thon and if I did choose it I fear I would get discouraged as I wouldn't be able to reach/maintain a page count per day that I'd be satisfied with.

So I say no thank you to 9.0 but look forward to the next one as I plan to be ready to participate by then. I better be. I look forward to following along however during 9.0 so see how others are doing and to wish them all the best!

This delay in clearing out my "currently reading" shelf has also left me in a quandary of what reading goals and challenges I want to complete in 2014. For the last 3 or so years I attempted to read one book for each letter of the alphabet by corresponding with the initial letter of its title. Each year I got close but never successfully completed this challenge, despite reading over 26 books each year. So I just don't know if this will be my lucky year where I can complete it or whether it would be better to try a new challenge all together. My mind is so conflicted.